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New Supercomputer Center Opens in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio -- The Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC) is opening a new facility in Springfield that will add 30 high-tech jobs over the next two years.

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio -- The Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC) is opening a new facility in Springfield that will add 30 high-tech jobs over the next two years. The center will help anchor a new research park and act as a catalyst for building a technology corridor between the Springfield-Dayton area and Central Ohio.

The three year $25 million project will bring an OSC research and technology presence to Springfield starting in April, and focus on specific scientific applications that include computation-intensive supercomputing, large-scale data mining, regional and global climate modeling, materials science, nanotechnology, bioinformatics, and high-energy physics.

In December 2003, OSC received $6 million in start up money from the United States Department of Energy (DOE) to establish the supercomputing center in Springfield. Preliminary work has begun on the center and a temporary office has opened next to Springfield city hall, according to Kevin Wohlever, project director.

"OSC's presence in Springfield should pave the way for technology company spin-offs and colocations in the research park," Kevin Wohlever, Springfield Project Director. "This provides us an opportunity to establish an anchor point that will provide a high-performance, data-intensive computing presence in southwest Ohio.

The Springfield center is currently focusing its operations on planning for the new facility, interviewing potential employees, and obtaining the appropriate computing equipment to carry out the center’s mission. The new center will also be connected to the Third Frontier Network, Ohio’s new high-speed fiber optic network linking colleges and universities with research facilities throughout the state, and to international research networks such as Internet2.

“Next month we hope to have additional temporary office space to house 20 employees as well as 2,000 sq. ft. for computers. By July 2005, we plan to move to a permanent site at Springfield’s PrimeOhio Corporate Park with 30 employees and ample computer space with worldwide network access,” Wohlever said.

Researchers at both the Columbus and Springfield sites will collaborate on developing high-capacity data storage systems, data distribution over high-speed networks, computation simulation of nuclear materials storage, and other projects with DOE, the Department of Defense center at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, local colleges and universities, and area businesses.

Richard Pritchard, OSC Director of Federal Programs, said the new Springfield center will benefit a larger segment of Ohio by distributing federal and state funding to more areas of the state. The center will allow more researchers to collaborate on federal projects and help increase Ohio’s role in the national technology development arena.

“Having this center in Springfield will help unite both the Dayton and Columbus technology communities and have a significant impact on Springfield’s economy through the creation of high-paying jobs. Springfield center employees will buy homes, food, cars, and pay taxes – all of which will benefit southwestern Ohio,” Pritchard said.